At the close of the year 2000, having survived all of the "disasters", we can approach 2001 with a greater sense of security. I haven’t heard any reports that the world will end in 2001, but I guess you never know.

My run for president was a tough battle, but having been re-elected, it was worth it. Wouldn’t it be fun to have two people running for the same office?

I’m having a wonderful time as your president but I fully intend to find some capable person to replace me for 2002. I think the group needs fresh ideas and fresh faces. Anyone who has been toying with the idea of getting more involved, PLEASE, let me know.

Our Christmas party was a success. Due to the generosity of those attending, we had plenty of great food and thousands of calories for those of us trying to "bulk up" (giggle). I hope no one thinks the annual party is a waste of time. Everyone who attends acts like they are happy for the chance to just talk to each other and exchange ideas. If you’d rather we didn’t have the party, I do care about the feelings of everyone in the group. Email me (mcpease@mindspring.com) and tell me what you think.

My focus for the upcoming year will be to try to have more interesting topics at our meetings. I could use suggestions on the programs you use and what kinds of things you’d be interested in hearing about. I’m in a rut at home because today my computer is working fine. That makes me want to leave it alone and not add or subtract any programs. And we all know, that’s no fun.

By the way, I finally upgraded to Windows Millennium. It’s not much of a change. The "find" feature is now the "search" feature. Some change, huh? I was hoping for a faster boot, but I upgraded instead of doing a ‘clean’ install and it boots as slow as ever. I’m not unhappy with it; I just don’t really see the point of the upgrade.

I hope everyone had a very nice holiday and I wish you all great prosperity in the New Year. u